Dorian read her owl for at least the dozenth time, if not more. He'd thought long and hard, but figured a simple dinner would be best. Some place public, so maybe Tess wouldn't feel so put off being seeing him.

He'd arrived earlier than what he'd written to Tess. He wanted to get a good table, near the back where there wouldn't be a lot of people and the music tended to stay at a low level. It was Tuesday night, and he was glad her schedule had worked out that way, since they always played old jazz standards on Tuesdays. He hummed along to "Misty", waiting for her to arrive.

As the waiter returned with the bottle of wine he'd ordered for them, he hoped she wouldn't think it too forward of him. He hadn't told Alec about them meeting, for the same reason Alec hadn't told Tess about him and Victoria until they figured things out themselves. But for Dorian, he thought it was different. He didn't have the same reservations as Alec had. He'd always been the more mature of the two, through school, and knew that he was getting tired of their partying days. Maybe that's why he was so bloody nervous now.

Tess was surprised yet relieved that he had replied and even set the date. Luckily for her, she was open that day and gladly accepted his idea. She had gone to the restaurant only on family outings, being dragged and forced to act like such a lady to be seen as a normal family to the investors of businesses and so forth. But now, now she was going on a date.

Knowing the place she was dressed for the occasion; she had take an hour to figure out a way to look presentable but try not to look like she tried too hard. She had wanted to tell Victoria; she really had, and needed her help, but she wasn't home. That had made her understand it as a sign that maybe it was better to keep it on the down low, no need to make a fuss out of a simply date. She wrinkled her nose at the word, she sounded so weird thinking it let alone saying it.

As she apparated in front of the restaurant, she smiled at the maître d' and immediately told him Dorian's name. She was quickly ushered towards the table, and she let out a shy smile as she saw him. She allowed the waiter to pull her chair before she sat down.

"Hello, sorry I'm a bit late" she breathed out.

She wasn't nervous, that was she told herself, but it had been a while.

Dorian simply stared at Tess as she was shown to his table. She looked bloody fantastic. She was able to look aluring without breaching into the overdone catagory. When he finally stopped staring at her, he mentally scolded himself. I should have gotten her chair. His parents hadn't gone through etiquette lessons for him to forget it all now.

He let out a small smile. "You're not, really. I just...I was early." He rubbed the back of his neck, not really wanting to admit that he'd come early to hopefully get rid of some of his nerves. It didn't work.

Looking at the wine bottle and the two full glasses, he looked at her shyly. "Hope you don't mind, I ordered some wine. We can get a different kind if you like." Now he felt like he was rambling. What a pair they made.

Tess looked a bit surprised at his shyness. It seemed a bit foreign to her, for someone so confident to be shy when looking at her of all people. This could have easily become uncomfortable, with her being shy with new people and him being shy as well.

Oh Merlin the silence she thought.

"The wine is lovely, happens to be my favorite" she said smiling brightly.

She was lying, she had never tasted the wine before. But by his meek look, she couldn't make him doubt himself. She picked up the glass and let out a smile once more before taking a sip. It was sweet but tangy, and she appreciated it before putting it down and looking at him. He looked handsome, that much was obvious, but it was nice to see him trying, even if it did make her uncomfortable.

"This is terribly awkward isn't it" she commented without thinking.

Her eyes widened immediately at her comment and she flushed at how rude she was being. So much for being an adult.

"Sorry!" She said trying to fix things.

Dorian let out a sigh. So much for trying. At least she seemed to like the wine. He grimaced, looking solidly at her.

"No. It's my fault. I'm no good at this." He gestured at the restaurant as a whole. He didn't usually do the whole 'wine and dine' thing. "I've never really...been on a regular date." Again, he felt old. He was only 24, but the countless nights of the same life over and over made it seem like forever.

But one look at Tess, with her bright eyes, full of intelligence, and he felt like a teenager again, lost. "You were probably right to say no at first." He was rambling. For a man who was usually so smooth with words, he was making a right fool of himself.

Tess winced at bit how this was going down the drain. Should she pretend to go to the loo and just run? Would he blame her, he had really put her on the spot. She wanted this to go so well. She looked down at her lap and gripped the napkin tightly trying to keep her sane. It was terrible, honestly was she really his first date? Oh hell, she was fucking it all up wasn't she?

"I'm sorry" she whispered softly.

Perhaps she made a mistake saying yes to him, honestly he was making it easy to think that by his comments and his mood.

"You're regretting this aren't you...I'm an awful date...if you want to leave it's alright" she said looking at her napkin. "I totally understand, I'm not the best kind of person for this."

She wanted to cry, oh Merlin no, she was not going to cry, she was an adult, and she was not going to cry over this. She just wanted to curl up and forget this ever happened. If he was regretting asking her, perhaps she should have just asked for another shift.

The look on Tess's face made Dorian feel like the biggest git in the world. "No, no, I don't! Not at all. Oh, bloody hell." He'd gone and made it worse. Downing his wine, he scooted his chair closer to her, not wanting to send mixed signals anymore.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down before he blubbered on again. "No, I don't regret it. No, you're not a terrible date, or at least I don't think you will be. No. I don't want to leave." That was as simple as he thought he could be.

Taking her hand gently, hoping she wouldn't pull away, he looked her in the eyes as steadily as he could. "I asked you out because you make me feel..." Young? Drunk? Stupid? "Different. Different than the usual women I meet. I couldn't stop thinking about you after what you did for me that night in the hospital."

He knew he was babbling now. Rubbing his neck again, knowing it was a stupid habit, he pressed on. "I'm gonna be rubish at this, I am. But I'm not asking for anything. I just...wanted to get to know you." Not true. He wanted more, but he wasn't going to fault her if she didn't.

Tess blinked back tears even before he spoke. She was going to be strong damn it, and leave with her head held high if needed to. At his stumbling over his words she lifted her gaze a bit confused as she heard the chair scrape as he moved towards her.

She was relieved when he didn't want to leave. It made her feel a bit better, though didn't really comfort her hesitation about staying. When he grabbed her hand, she allowed him not wanting to be mean. He was trying to comfort her, Merlin she hadn't changed from when she was younger. She could cry at the drop of a hat.

"Really?" she asked surprised.

She smiled shyly at him, genuinely bewildered at his comment. Why would he keep thinking about her, she was nothing special, perhaps he was grateful for what she had done. Different was a good thing right? She forced herself to take it as a good thing as she swallowed thickly before replying.

"You want to be friends?" she asked innocently.

Dorian felt like he'd been punched in the gut. So that's what that feels like. He'd always heard about women wanting to be friends. Men falling into the friend zone. Never having attempted being friends with a woman, Dorian had never fallen prey to that dilema. But as he looked at Tess, nearly in tears, he finally understood.

He'd say whatever he had to to make her feel better. "Yeah." He swallowed, sounding hoarse. "I want to be friends."

Letting go of her hand, he leaned back in his chair. Glad the waiter had refilled their glasses. Taking a big drink, he wished it was scotch. He let out a small smile. "Does a friend ask how work is going?"

As sad as it was, he really didn't know. He had Alec. And they worked together. So mundane questions like that were never needed. This was going to be harder than he thought.

His smile was different she noticed. His whole demeanor changed after he responded. That's all he wanted...to be friends. Tess decided if that was all she was going to get, then she would take advantage and have a handsome guy like him be her friend.

'And so another fail at my attempt of a love life' she thought and sighed.

His tone seemed a bit forced, but she smiled softly at him. Her eyes bright despite her disappointment. But she was used to disappointment, it never was really that right when it came to her personal life. At work, she had magic in her fingertips and everything went perfectly but in her social life, she might as well get a cat already. God knows she should start training for when she became a spinster.

She took a sip of her wine and smiled at his question.

'Make the best of it' she thought.

"Friends ask whatever they want" she replied softly. "But as a friend I'm telling you now it's not that entertaining"

She laughed softly and shook her head.

"I'm sorry to say that I'm not interesting...not at all" she added with a half-smile.

Dorian watched Tess. It was strange for him to try to see a woman as anything other than a pursuit. To try to get to know her on a personal level, this was going to be hard. But it was what he really wanted, if he was honest with himself. His hand itched to touch hers again.

Turning his attention to the menu, he tried not to stare at her like he wanted. But he didn't want to act like he was ignoring her eithier. Blimey, how do people do it! He smirked when she put the emphasis on friend.

"Oh, I highly doubt it. Someone not interesting would have simply done as they were told by family, instead of following their dream." He spoke lightly, trying to show no judgement. "I find that very interesting."

And he did. He knew about family traditions and the pressures to conform. Luckily, he'd been suited to do so. But he'd never quite understood her families hatred of her profession, even Alec.

Tess looked at him wide-eyed. He actually was making it sound like he wanted to compliment her for making her decision. She placed her hand lightly on her chest before placing it over his trying to make her gratefulness show.

She always thought that he had the same views of her career like Alec. But he called her interesting, in a positive light, at least in her opinion. Finally stopping the wheels in her head from spinning, she let out a smile and squeezed his hands.

"You sure know what to tell a girl don't you" she said coyly.

Once her blush cooled down, she tilted her head and asked him something, trying to get to know him.

"Why did you get into your career?"

Dorian tried not to hiss in a breath, surprised at her ease of touching. He was confused by it. He'd just assumed being only friends with a girl meant no physical contact. So when she touched his hand, part of him wanted to take hold and not let go, the other wanted to pull away.

Deciding to just leave his hand where it was, he smiled softly at her comment. "It's true, though. Not many people have the courage to do that. Are you sure you were in the right house?"

The waiter returned to take their order. After, he turned to her, eyebrows raised. He was surprised at her question, to say the least. "I actually like the thrill of it. It makes you feel alive when you're on the job. And it's a plus making sure Alec doesn't get himself killed."

He smiled. It wasn't like Alec was really wreckless. Dorian was actually the one more prone. to run into bad situations. It was happening more and more. Probably how he ended up wounded while Alec hadn't seemed to get a scratch on him.

Tess rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back thinking that it was making him uncomfortable. She moved a strand of hair behind her ear and shook her head. She knew that everyone she had met always told her that she should have been in Gryffindor, but now, the hat had told her why she was meant to be in Slytherin and she never regretted it.

"Trust me, I was put in the right house" she commented vaguely and let out a smirk. "It's never wise to underestimate a person Kraine"

She had to admit that his job was somewhat of an awkward situation for her. This was because it was what she would have been convinced. She shivered at the idea of how aggressive it was and stressful. Her job was stressful itself, but being in the Order had taught her that sometimes she had to attack and that gave her enough panic attack.

"Well then...I should thank you, shouldn't I?" she said smiling.

Dorian's hand felt cold where Tess's had been. Should have taken her hand. He tried not to let the hurt show in his eyes. After all, he had claimed to just want to be friends. Though it was getting harder with that smirk she gave him.

Picking up his wine, he held it up to her, toasting. "I promise never to underestimate you, Miss Black." He couldn't help the amusement that reached his eyes at her determination to be recognized for who she was. Who she knew, one hundred percent, she was. He envied her that.

He set his glass down. "You could. Though at times I'm guessing you'd rather not. I know Alec too, he can be a pain." Swallowing, he decided to cross a barrier he knew was riddled with land mines. "He really wasn't trying to hurt you with Victoria, you know?" A part of him thought that, maybe, if she could come to terms with Alec and Victoria, MAYBE, there'd be hope for more between them as well.

Tess' smirk widened, not even hiding the mischievous glint in her eye. Victoria always told her that her biggest advantage was her innocent face. Most of the trouble making was her idea, but Tess would play along, and as long as her doe eyes were bright, she would be safe from punishment.

"Good, you're bright" she said biting her lip amused.

She lifted her wine glass and took a sip not letting her gaze drop from his gaze. She didn't know why she was so confident, she couldn't understand why. Perhaps it was because the wine was a bit stronger than she was used to. Or maybe it was because she was comfortable.

At his comment, her eyes widened in surprise. She knew that he was loyal to Alec, but she wasn't expecting him trying to defend him at this moment. Alec was...always at odds with her and it always angered her.

"I know" she whispered after a while. "But it doesn't make it alright"

Dorian let out a genuine smile. He liked seeing Tess happy, confident, and open with herself. More so when he had something to do with it. He had never really gotten to know her, but the version of her he'd heard from Alec over the years hadn't matched the her that he'd met at Alec's flat. And he found that he was rather fond of her wit.

"I'd like to think so. Though a bright person probably wouldn't have gotten hit with a curse like I did." He really wasn't proud of that. But it had brought him to Tess, and lead to tonight. So it wasn't all bad.

He took a deep breath. It was probably a terrible idea to bring this up. And he knew it might mean Tess hated him for it, but he had to try. Something about her stirred feelings in him that he didn't know he had. He had to at least give it a shot. Trying not to sound confrontational, he asked, "Did they explain to you how it happened?"

He wondered if she was only seeing Alec and Victoria as they related to her, instead of as two individuals. If she would think the same if she knew how they actually felt about one another.

Tess shook her head and shrugged at his compliment. It wasn't true, in fact while she did have a streak of having a good hand when it came to dueling, and natural offensive maneuvers, she couldn't handle high stressed situation.

"I wouldn't have ever put myself in a situation" she said shaking her head. "I'm not meant to be in the forefront of danger. I'm not too courageous"

She chuckled softly. But the mood was a bit sobered once he asked her that question. She figured that's what hurt her the most, especially once they were determined to be together. They never told her how it happened, just that it did, but she connected the dots. Victoria had gone out, gotten a bit wasted, met a 'prince charming' and then cried unsure that she was going to see him once more. The rest was a blur to her.

"No, it wasn't that important, all that mattered to them was that I know of them being together, of them not thinking of anyone but themselves. I know I sound selfish too, but for once I deserve to be a bit selfish"

She sighed and took a long sip of her drink before placing the empty glass down.

"Doesn't matter, it's not like I would ruin anything for them"

Dorian felt like he may never understand the complexities of the woman sitting in front of him. She said she wasn't couragous, but what about the story about how her and Victoria met? And how she hadn't even flinched at the wound on his leg. Not everyone could do that. He smiled at her, wondering if he would get a chance to know her better.

He listened intently to her version of the situation. While he wanted to befriend her, or more, he couldn't throw Alec under the bus either. But more than that, it was about them both being understood. "When they found out who each other were they didn't want anything to do with each other." Alec had phrased it another way, but it was the same thing. "I don't know about Victoria, but all he could think about was how it would affect you."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing this was going south. But he wasn't going to sugar coat things with her. He didn't want to start their friendship out by holding back what he thought. "Alec and I, we don't get many chances at something real. I can't blame him for going after it when he got the chance."

A part of Dorian wanted to kick the snot out of his best friend. Of course he would be the lucky one.

Tess snorted and shook her head as he began to talk and defend Alec. Honestly, did he really think she was going to take the comments from a person that was devoted to Alec? She didn't want to get mad, this 'date' was as awkward as it could possibly get.

"Well then if you are right, then better late then ever." she commented.

She picked up the bottle and served herself another glass before taking a sip and closing her eyes letting the wine flow and to calm her nerves. She didn't want to show her temper, things never went well if she lost her temper.

She turned to face him and raised her brow. Was he kidding her? He didn't have something real. She was buzzed, really starting to get it, and her tongue was a bit more blunt and truthful.

"You know...looking at you, you are handsome, you're successful, and you could have anything you would want in life. So when you say that you haven't had something real, that probably means that you haven't tried."

She looked down at her glass and shook her head.

"If you're looking for what Alec and Victoria have, or whatever they call love, then just take a chance. Be determined, that's what I'd do if I wanted love."

Dorian knew it was a lost cause. To try to convince her while she was drinking. She didn't seem totally lost, but she seemed far enough for inhibitions to be compromised. But, since he was already digging the hole..."There's no if, Tess. You're related to Alec, and you love Victoria. You could forgive them, in time. But I've no such security with you. I've nothing to gain from lying to you."

He sipped at his wine. He was used to stronger, so it really didn't effect him much. But her wit cut him more than any wine could. She was right, of course. He hadn't tried. Not for many years.

"I guess you're right. Guess I'm a proper Slytherin, then." When it came to love, he was a right coward. But he really didn't want to be. It was the one part of hiself that he hated.

Her comment intregued him. "Oh? And how far would you go to get love?"

Tess rolled her eyes not really wanting to hear this. Merlin she was the bad guy and it hurt her enough as it was. She picked up her glass of water, drinking it and trying to calm herself and not start bubbling.

She was a light weight, and really not meant to drink too much, but it numbed her senses and it was something that she needed. At him insinuating of his cowardliness she frowned and was a bit disappointed.

"I guess that's when we're different" she commented. "How far would I go to get love? I'd give my all I suppose, my mind, my body and my soul."

She closed her eyes as she said this, her cheeks reddening at the vulnerability that she was saying. She was always weak, and that was definitely love, she would always get won over if someone talked about love, and her wanting to see it, if she couldn't experience it herself.

"I know it's a weakness to give your all, but I'd willingly love with all my passion even if heartbreak was inevitable. Because experiencing, being in that situation, even for a second, and then have to give it up would be hard, but at least you'd experience it. I'd die for love I suppose."

Dorian downed his glass. He'd opened this door, and damn if he knew how to close it. She made it sound so wonderful. Giving your everything to someone, hoping with everything you have that it will be worth it. Only sometimes it isn't. And worse...

Sometimes it is. He didn't want to play this game anymore. It hurt too much. He poured himself another glass, hoping with everything he had to get plastered soon.

"It sounds all tragically romantic when you say it like that. But it really isn't." Fuck. He really didn't want to go there. "When you wake up one day, wishing you could forget, then we'll talk."

He sounded bitter. And old. But in truth, he was.

Tess was staring at the wine glass longingly. She hadn't been in love in such a long time, Xander was the first person she ever expressed her love to. She had experienced something so innocent, but pure and when it had ended it had hurt. Then she'd grown up enough to have a crush, a stupid crush on her boss, the stupidest thing possible, especially when he never noticed her.

She laughed softly at his comment. After all what she had said was herself, she'd been hurt and broken and she had shed a fair share of tears.

"Because it is. You love love when it fills up a whole room, but when it leaves we're cursing ever experiencing it. When the pain goes you just...you just have those memories and wish to repeat it again. It's a vicious cycle, but you know sometimes...you meet the one" she whispered softly.

She snorted and shook her head.

"I guess I love the pain of it all" she sighed and took a gulp of wine not caring. "You've never been in love, and if you think you have, you haven't or else you'd appreciate it more. I know that the passion behind it, beats any regular shag you've had"

Now she knew she was getting a bit too buzzed.